As shown in FIG. 4, conventionally a form is generated using a form file 400 indicative of the layout of a form (420). When field data 410 is entered into a field, control is performed in such a manner that the field data 410 will be output in an output area defined by a “field object” 402 [a graphic indicating the output area of the field data 410, which has been entered into the field, on the form (420)] described in the form file 400. This control generates the form (for example, see the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-283140).
It is possible to specify the output style (output format) of the field data 410 with respect to the field object 402. In general, a character for specifying the output format is referred to as an “output picture”. For example, if it has been so defined that an output picture “K” outputs just one character, control is performed so as to extract and output not a numerical value but only a character from the field data that has been entered. In a case where there are five “K”s, as shown in FIG. 4, control is performed in such a manner that up to five characters of field data will be output into the field object 402.
Furthermore, with regard to the field object 402, it is possible to define it so that a tabular object (table), for example, will be output using the entered field data 410. Examples of tabular-format objects that can be defined so as to be output into the field object 402 are a variable table in which the number of table lines changes in accordance with the amount of data in the field data 410, and a fixed table in which the number of table lines is constant irrespective of the amount of data in the field data 410.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the manner in which a form 520 is generated by entering field data 510 into a form file 500 defined in such a manner that a tabular object (a variable table) will be output into a field object 502. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the form (an invoice in this case) 520 that has been output spans three pages, on the third page of which the number of lines of the table is made two in conformity with the amount data in the field data 510.
However, in a case where the form file has been defined in such a manner that a tabular object will be output into the field object, there are instances where, depending upon the amount of data in the field data, the form in which the field data has been incorporated takes on an unattractive appearance.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to place a separate object 604 underneath a field object 602 in the creation of a form file. With a variable table, however, if the amount of data in field data 610 is small, then an unnecessary blank space 621 is formed between the object 604 placed beneath the field object 602 and the last line of the table that is output into the field object 602. In the case of a fixed table, on the other hand, it is possible to so arrange it that such a blank space will not be created. Instead, however, if the amount of data in the field data 610 is small, blank lines 631 in the field data 610 that are devoid of entries will be output.
Thus, if a form file is defined in such a manner that a tabular object will be output, then, in the case of a variable table, a blank space will be formed between the last line of the table that is output into the field object and an object placed beneath the field object. In the case of a fixed table, blank lines in which no field data has been entered will appear. A problem which arises, therefore, is that the form produced in either case will be unattractive depending upon the amount data in the field data.